His Other Half
by kutnerlove
Summary: George is left alone after the War ends. With Fred gone how will George go on? Perhaps with a little help from his friends...rated M for later chapters
1. Making Memories

Making Memories

Upon seeing his lifeless face, a hint of a smile still dancing on his mouth, Mary burst into tears. She knew that George would be feeling so much worse than she could possibly imagine, but the sight of Fred lying there motionlessly still cut her deep. The war may have been over, but the pain would continue until justice was fully served. She couldn't leave him there in the corridor alone—the thought of it made her physically sick, so she pulled herself together enough to grab her wand. After brushing a few strands of ginger hair away from his face she muttered the incantation to lift him into the air and made her way toward the Great Hall, intent on placing him on the Gryffindor table where he belonged.

People were starting to file into the large room, looking haggard and thoroughly roughed up. Some were already crying in small groups, some watched her bring Fred's lifeless form into the hall; some were so engrossed in their own very recent memories that they weren't aware of anything at all going on around them. She carefully lowered Fred to the table, others were bringing bodies in from different parts of the castles, but she couldn't take her eyes off of the man she knew to be so happy to see what other casualties there were.

Mary's eyes were still overflowing uncontrollably as she attempted to remove the smudges of dirt and blood from his very pale face. It wasn't long before members of the Weasley Clan spotted the ginger hair of one of their own and began to congregate around his body, weeping as violently as Mary. If her heart wasn't already broken by the sight of his limp form, the look on Mrs. Weasley's face as she threw herself upon her dead son would have surely shattered it once more. She didn't even dare touch Fred after Mrs. Weasley had wrapped herself around him for fear of being bodily removed.

The male cry from somewhere behind her was heart wrenching and she knew instinctively that George had stumbled upon the scene. He clutched his twin's hand, sobbing even louder than his mother and abusing the pale flesh, determined to wake Fred from his eternal slumber. She finally sank to the floor, taking the risk of being trampled by a dozen or so Weasleys, but not being able to stand any longer. Mary wept until she could weep no more and sat there near the cold table heaving with grief. The Weasleys, especially the twins, had been dear friends for over the entirety of my life. She was a pureblood Ravenclaw student who had grown up on the other side of the hill from the Burrow with her Grandfather and had spent nearly every day of her life that wasn't spent at school in a classroom with one or more of the redheaded Wizarding family. It was hard to believe that one of them was gone. Of course it had been beyond scary finding out that George had lost his ear on a trip to retrieve Harry, but death was far more serious.

After what seemed like hours a pair of strong hands gripped her under her arms and pulled her to her feet. The red-eyed, tear streaked face of Charlie Weasley was telling her to get on her feet. She knew that it was time to leave, but didn't want to be separated from Fred's corpse. It was as though if she left she was accepting that he was really gone. Charlie was much stronger than she was, however, and hoisted her onto her feet, then led her outside. Her grandfather at home when Charlie knocked on the door. He welcomed them inside, wanting to know everything. Charlie didn't say much except that the battle was over and that there had been many casualties, including Fred. He left quickly, desperate to get back to his family, and Mary accepted the condolences of her grandfather before disappearing into her bedroom.

Hours after Charlie had gone; Mary was still lying awake in her bed, staring out the window at the stars. She was drained physically and emotionally, but couldn't her mind refused to rest. She missed Fred terribly already and knew that the pain of his death would not end for a very long time. Unsure of what else to do, she stood up and climbed out of her window and down the lattice, then made her way to the shack where she and the Weasleys had played as children. She closed the door behind her and immediately became aware of the presence of another person in the dark. She quickly pulled out her wand and lit the tip, prepared to fight, but the being didn't move or speak. The light bounced off of long ginger hair and she recognized George's lean frame, curled against the wall on a ragged mattress.

With a sigh of relief she lowered the wand. "George?" her voice was indicative of all the crying she had been doing and she was sure that she looked even worse than she sounded. George did not respond, however. She put the wand away and knelt down on the makeshift bed beside him. "George. I am so sorry." The tears were building up again behind her eyes and she could feel them burning to escape. He heaved, tears pouring down his face, she noticed as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She lay down beside him, wrapping her arms around him and curling against his back. For several moments he didn't move or speak, and then finally he turned over and started into her chocolate colored eyes with his piercing blue ones and she felt as though she could see into his soul.

"What am I going to do?" he asked, his voice raw with emotion.

"I don't know. God this hurts!" The tears finally spilled over once more and she clung to him as he wrapped his arms around her and they cried for a good hour, before calming down enough to speak again.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He was at a loss for anything else to say.

"I couldn't sleep. This place reminds me of him, of good times," she managed, biting her lip. He studied her; unsure of which emotions he was feeling exactly, then nodded.

"I don't want to be alone. I can't be with them right now…"he stated, and she assumed he was referring to his family, "But I can't sleep in an empty room, and they all have each other to comfort. They can't think of a way to comfort me." His voice was shaky and she had never heard him speak so seriously about anything. "Stay with me?"

"Of course." They huddled together, silently mourning the loss of a brother and a friend. Sometime near dawn they passed out together, clinging to each other for dear life. They didn't reawaken until noon. Mary awakened first, upon hearing the fighting of two birds outside the open window and after a moment she gently shook George. "Are you ok?" she asked, at a loss for anything else to say.

"What do you think?" he asked. He didn't appear to have rested at all. He sat up reluctantly and she followed suit. It was a moment before either spoke, then George met her dark eyes with his light ones. "There's a bottle of Firewhiskey in that chest by the door, would you bring it to me?" Mary obliged and handed him the unopened bottle before settling down once more beside him on the ragged mattress. He took off the cap and downed a large swig of the stuff inside, then offered her the bottle. She accepted it and they sat for nearly an hour passing the bottle between them, not speaking until the bottle was empty.

George tossed the empty bottle into the corner and resumed his sleeping position, curling into himself. Mary sighed, Fred was really gone and his twin was left to deal with the pain of his loss alone. She turned her head slightly to look at the red haired man and noticed his gentle shaking. She wrapped her arms around him once more and held him until his shaking subsided, her own wet tears staining the back of his shirt.

It was nearly twilight before either of them moved again. This time George sat bolt upright and threw himself toward the window where he heaved uncontrollably, covering the once healthy flower garden outside the window with the contents of his stomach. When he had nothing left inside of him, he slumped to the dirty floor and continued retching while Mary held his hair and tried to soothe him by rubbing circles on his back. "Are you going to leave?" he finally asked, his tired voice muffled by her shoulder.

"Not as long as you're still here," Mary replied, holding him close to her. The pain of losing a friend was nearly unbearable and she couldn't even imagine what George must be feeling at the loss of his brother, his other half. He relaxed into her and let her rock him gently until he was once again asleep and they stayed as such until the sun rose. At dawn she was finally able to get him to move back onto the makeshift bed and they lay still until George once again opened his eyes.

His belly growled in sync with hers and she realized that neither of them had eaten in almost two days. She Accio'ed sandwich material and water from her bedroom as well as a bit of parchment so that she could write a note to her Grandfather and to Mrs. Weasley explaining that she and George were safe. After a bit of food and sending out the mail she put a hand on George's shoulder. He had eaten very slowly and she was afraid that he was upset with her on top of the grief he was dealing with on behalf of his brother's premature death.

"How long do you want to stay?" she asked him.

"Dunno. You can go if you want." He didn't look up and she brushed his hair out of his face and leaned into him.

"I'm not going anywhere without you, George. I just figured you'd want to say goodbye to him at the wake."

He was quiet. "Alright. I…I have to see him again." He finally looked up again and her heart broke into a million pieces once more, his usually dancing eyes were so sad. She helped him to his feet and they walked toward the Burrow silently. It was the longest walk to his house she had ever experienced. When they got in sight of the house he slowed down and took her hand gently into his. She squeezed his encouragingly, silently promising not to leave his side.

When they entered the house Mrs. Weasley scooped them both into a hug, tears streaming down her face. The rest of the Weasley clan, Harry and Hermione sat somberly around the kitchen table and looked up to see George and Mary enter the kitchen, escorted by Mrs. Weasley. "Can't get us mixed up now," George stated, attempting a joke, but the humor was lost to the bitter truth. Mary touched his arm gently and he sat down among his family.

George was informed that they were burying Fred the next morning, following a brief wake. He took the information in and nodded his acknowledgement; no one seemed to know what to talk about until Mrs. Weasley wearily announced that she would start making dinner. Mary left the Burrow at nearly midnight, after most of the family had decided to retire. She walked George up to his bedroom, which Charlie had opted to share with him and said goodnight to him at the door. She put her arms around him and they held each other for a moment before she looked up into his tired, red rimmed eyes and whispered that she was only a heartbeat away, then they disentangled themselves and she turned on the spot, apparating back to her grandfather's house.

The old man was still awake when she appeared in the living room with a loud 'pop.' "I figured you were at the Burrow. I know it must be hard on all of them."

"George especially," Mary agreed, settling down on the long navy blue couch next to his arm chair.

"I won't be surprised when you end up marrying one of those Weasley's," he told her with a slight grin. "George is a strong boy, he'll perk up."

"I know. But right now I'm worried about him. He feels awful and there's nothing I can do." She sighed and her grandfather looked her over.

"Just keep close to him and I'm sure it'll help. He needs someone to hold at night."

"Grandpa! I'm not looking for a husband and he doesn't want someone to take Fred's place…I just wish I could help."

"Believe me, you won't be taking Fred's place, and having a pretty girl around always helps." His eyes twinkled with wisdom and kindness and she finally felt some comfort for her injured heart. Her grandfather could always make her feel better about a situation, no matter how dreary it seemed. She stood tiredly and kissed his forehead.

"I'm going to go to bed, Grandpa, it's been a long week."

"Take a shower first, my little Dragon Tamer, you smell like you slept in that playhouse again." She rolled her eyes and blew him a kiss before ascending the stairs and stripping out of her soiled clothes. She took the shower, as advised, and realized that it helped. Without bothering to put on night clothes, she climbed into bed and fell asleep.

When Mary awakened she realized that someone was in her room and she flung her arm under her pillow in search of her wand. His voice stopped her and she turned slowly toward the newly opened curtains to see George's sad eyes looking at her. Tucking the comforter under her body so as not to expose herself, she motioned him over to sit on the bed with her. "What are you doing here?"

A hint of a grin flashed over his face as he replied. "We used to sneak into this bedroom as kids and tell scary stories at night when your Grandpa wouldn't let you sleep in the playhouse with us. He sat on the edge of the bed near her knees and took a deep breath. "Are you coming to…to…"

"Yes," she replied quickly so he didn't have to use the word 'funeral.' "I wouldn't miss it for all the gold in Gringotts."

"Thanks. I…Fred would have wanted you there. Besides, I dunno if I could go alone. I know this is sort of strange, but having you near me is comforting…it's like I can start to see something…besides him."

"George, that's the sweetest thing I think you've ever said." She smiled gently, "Anytime you want some comfort, come find me."

"I can't sleep," he admitted sheepishly. "I was kind of wondering if you would mind me staying here."

"Of course not," she said, moving over to allow him room to get into her large bed. Before he could start to move into the bed, however, she realized that she was naked and told him to freeze.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Well…I didn't put anything on after I got out of the shower," she told him, blushing furiously. His eyes sparked at that statement and she saw a glimpse of the old George again.

"So you're completely nude?" he asked, grinning.

"Yes, would you mind stepping into the bathroom while I put pajamas on?"

"Merlin's Pants! Mary is naked! With a Weasley! This is amazing!!!" He laughed as she glared at him.

"Don't make me regret not pulling out my wand George Weasley!" she threatened. He sighed and did as she asked, and when she was sure he had closed the bathroom door that was adjoining to her room, she got up and pulled on a camisole and pajama pants. He came out of the bathroom suspiciously soon after she had her clothes on, but she didn't want to ask about whether he had spied on her, so she followed him over to the bed. The two climbed under the comforter and George wrapped an arm around Mary, pulling her closer. Soon they had both fallen asleep.


	2. The Lonely One

Chapter Two: The Lonely One

The funeral was a sad affair, but George couldn't let his brother be remembered as just another wizard whom the world would mourn. He set off a series of firecrackers that spelled out Fred's name, he was determined that Fred would be remembered and celebrated as well as mourned. The family and friends of Fred Weasley gathered at the Burrow, red eyed and determined to do something to honor the name and the late wizard. George, crushed though he was about his brother's death, would not let the name of Weasley turn into something boring. He pulled out a chest from under his bed and with Mary's help brought down elixir for lifting spirits, muggle home videos of himself and Fred experimenting, and Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes paraphernalia depicting the twins setting off fireworks.

Those who had gathered at the Burrow to celebrate Fred's life got nothing less than twin style memories of the late trickster. It was well past 3 a.m. when George found himself ready to sleep. He wanted to find Mary first, however, and escort her back to her bedroom before settling into his bed. He searched the small crowd in the kitchen and checked outside before discovering her already slumbering in a corner of the living room, propped up against a large chair. He carefully picked her up and apparated into her room, then gently settled her into her unmade bed before heading back to the Burrow to get some sleep.

The next month found George very busy reopening the shop. He had determined that Fred would have come back from the grave and killed him for letting such a prosperous and exciting business die and for moping around constantly dwelling on his death. Fred was always in the back of George's mind, however. There would be no getting rid of such an influential and determined man who had meant so much to George, not that he ever wanted to rid himself of his twin. George simply kept busy and slept at the Burrow, hating the emptiness of the upstairs loft without his brother.

In commemoration of his brother, George charmed a large portrait of his brother to hover close to the ceiling; the portrait seemed to have acquired the spirit of Fred, much as the portraits of previous Hogwarts Headmasters had done their subjects. It floated along behind the redhead as he worked making suggestions and funny quips about customers that were sure to love the products. On the day that George finally reopened the shop, with much excitement and advertising, the painting of Fred followed teens around the store, deterring them from shop lifting products.

George stood near the entrance to the back room and watched happily as his brothers face curled into a snarl as a young wizard attempted to back talk Fred's painting. Neville Longbottom and a Huflfepuff boy who had been in George's year called Lionus Porre had been hired to work as cashiers and stocking help and were hurriedly ringing up customers' orders when Mary and Luna Lovegood entered the shop. George put on a smile and moved to greet the girls.

"Hello ladies, fancy taking a look at our new Wonder Witch products?" he asked. Luna ignored him and dreamily made her way toward the muggle magic display which featured a magician hat which she promptly tried on. George laughed and turned back to Mary, who still stood in front of him. "Bonkers that one. How about it? Wonder Witch?"  
"No thanks," she declined with a smile. "I just came to browse and see how you were doing. Long time no see..." Before George could reply they were interrupted by the charmed portrait of Fred flying by in pursuit of a juvenile with three pygmy puffs stuffed down his shirt. Fred nearly took out two older witches near the door and George groaned.

"Hold that thought, would you?" He caught up with the portrait and the obnoxious wizard who had been backed into a corner and retrieved the frightened pygmy puffs before escorting the youngster out of the shop. When he turned back to where Mary had been standing she was nowhere in sight so he bade Fred to scan the place for her. Fred found her talking to Harry, Ron and Hermione who had slipped in while George had been occupied and informed his brother accordingly.

"There you are! We saw you with that little prat, but didn't want to interrupt," Ron told George as he joined their group.

"Yes, well we can't all be shoppers. Someone has to take care of the business end of this place," George pointed out.

"I like the painting of Fred," Harry grinned, "It's just like him." Hermione started asking questions about the spell George had used and about the semantics of the painting and George was put off answering anything else about the painting. Fortunately, Ron saved him the trouble.

"He isn't going to tell you how he did it, Hermione. He won't even explain to me how he charmed Percy's underpants last week."

"Oh, Ronald, do you have to be so obtuse? It's a simple charm…" She continued explaining to a disgruntled Ron who wished he hadn't said anything and the other three stepped to the side to avoid any conflicts.

"They've been going on like this ever since they started officially dating," Harry explained. "I think they were more laid back as friends." Fred and Mary laughed sympathetically, knowing Harry was left to deal with their problems as he was their best friend.

"How's it going then, you two?" George asked his companions. "Where's Ginny?"

"She's at the robes shop. Your mum is having her get new ones for school."

"Right, are you going back as well?" Mary asked Harry, glancing over at the still chattering Hermione and the slowly reddening Ron.

"Probably. McGonnagal sent a letter stating that I could come back. I have to finish my NEWTs to qualify for Auror training, or pretty much anything else," he pointed out. "Hermione will go back as well. She loves school. Ron will if we do. Mrs. Weasley and Hermione are harassing him about it."

"Well if mum wants it he'll go back or face hell." George laughed. "Fred and I took the second option. Not for the faint of heart."

Harry laughed. "What are you doing now, Mary?"

"Well I didn't get a real job last year as I was working for the order full time. I dunno now. I was thinking about teaching potions if Hogwarts is still hiring."

"McGonnagal will hire you. She loved you in transfigurations," George told her. "Dunno why you'd wanna go back with this lot, though. Sounds like a lot of trouble if you ask me."

Mary laughed. "I think I can handle it. Besides, I always liked potions."

"Whatever heats your cauldron," George shrugged with a grin. "What do you think of the shop? I didn't change all that much yet. Just had to fix the place up and hire some employees."

"It looks great," Harry clapped him on the back. "Is that Neville?"

"Yeah. He wanted a job so I figured I'd try him out. He's alright."

"Right. I'll just go speak to him. See you two later if you'll be at the Burrow for dinner." Harry wandered off and George turned back to Mary.

"So how are you?" she asked.

"Tired." He smiled at her and she understood what he meant. They hadn't seen each other since the funeral gathering, but she could still tell that Fred was never far from his mind.

"Well I'm around if you ever want to talk," she offered.

"I wouldn't talk to anyone else," he said and meant it. Ever since she spent the night holding him he had felt close to her. Seeing Mary again seemed to reawaken the feeling of closeness that he had pushed to the back of his mind while working to reopen Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. "So you really want to teach?"

"Sure. It's a living. And like I said, I like potions. It's too bad about Snape, though. I thought he'd be around for another century or so."

George snorted. "Sure he worked for the order, but I don't feel any camaraderie with him. Too many detentions."

"Well, I'm sure you didn't deserve **all** of the detentions, but you were certainly not completely innocent George Weasley."

"Maybe not, but it was worth it." His grin was one of wicked pleasure that she loved and she couldn't help but smile back at him. The moment was lost, however, when Hermione caught sight of the exploding owl display. George rushed off to explain about the fakeness of the birds after inviting Mary to the Burrow for dinner. He was in trouble as usual, and she smiled thinking of good times to come.

Dinner was a loud affair, which was usual for the Weasley kitchen. Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Percy, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, George, and Mary occupied the seats around the table and several conversations were going on at once, which made it difficult to concentrate on one thing for very long. Mary and Ginny were involved in a discussion about the coming school year, Harry, Ron, and George chatted about recent Quidditch games, Percy and Mr. Weasley discussed Ministry business, and Mrs. Weasley was telling Hermione of an interesting new cleaning potion when several owls swooped in through the windows and landed on the table, sending food flying in all directions.

Percy opened the first letter and let out an outraged cry. "They cannot do this!" he yelled, prompting the others at the table, to focus all their attention on him. "They've instigated a new law," he told the others, "A marriage law!"

"What?!?!" was the collective response from the group. A flurry of hands reached for letters with their respective names on them and hurried to open the parchments to read the announcement for themselves.

George read his aloud with a look on his face that was indeterminable.

**"Dear Mr. Weasley,**

**Due to the recent war and the many casualties the Ministry of Magic is given the duty to repopulate the magical community. You have been entered into the marriage pool as an eligible Wizard of Age. It has been determined that your best possible mate for a union of marriage should be with one Miss. Mary Darkbow. She is a pureblood witch and recent graduate of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who has today placed a request for a position as potions professor at the school. You and your assigned mate are scheduled to meet with me this Thursday, 26 August at 10 a.m. to sign the marital contract and your ceremony is to be held the 28 August at a location of your choosing. The following stipulations must be agreed upon by means of signing the contract:**

**Your magical union must be consummated within 24 hours of the binding ceremony.**

**Your magical union must produce a child within one year of marriage.**

**Failure to meet requirements constitutes annulment of said marriage and will place you back into the marriage pool for another union.**

**Thank you and I look forward to meeting you both,**

**Regina K. Yeban**

**Department of Magical Marriages,**

**Ministry of Magic"**

"They've gone too bloody far!" Mr. Weasley shouted, noticing that his only daughter who was not yet of age also had a letter.

"Calm down, dear. I'm sure that the Ministry is only doing what is required," Mrs. Weasley told him.

"Ginny's got a letter as well!" he yelled, effectively changing his wife's mind about the whole situation.

"The bastards! Give me that letter Ginevra!" she demanded. Ginny reluctantly handed over her still unopened letter and waited for the verdict. The rest of the group waited in anticipation. "Oh…" Mrs. Weasley said gently after reading over the letter.

"Well?" Ginny asked after her mother handed the letter to her father.

"Those students in school won't have to marry until they've finished up," Mrs. Weasley stated simply. As Mr. Weasley read over Ginny's letter the others opened their own and searched for their fates.

"Will somebody tell me who it is I'm supposed to marry!" Ginny yelled.

"It's me," Harry said quietly from her side. She looked shocked for a moment and then threw her arms around him excitedly.

"Mine says that if I don't go back to school I'm stuck marrying Millicent Bullstrode," Ron announced unhappily. "If I do go back it'll be Hermione."

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said sharply. "You're going back so it doesn't matter."

"What about you, Perce?" George asked his brother, trying not to catch Mary's gaze as he still didn't know quite how he felt about the situation and not wanting to see disappointment or anger in her eyes. He stared intently at his brother, willing himself not to look at the girl at his right side.

"Lavender Brown, whomever that is," Percy said annoyedly. George was sure he had wanted to be paired with Penelope, his Hogwarts girlfriend with whom he had lost touch.

"Lavender Brown?" Ron repeated, outraged that his brother was to wed his former girlfriend. "Lavender Brown?"

"Yes, Ron, Lavender Brown," Hermione said sullenly. "We've established that he's stuck with Lavender Brown." She was clearly not happy that Ron had paid little attention to her being his chosen mate.

Mary watched the family stirring around and tried to get a look at George's face to determine how he was taking the news that they were to be married in less than a week. He was determinedly looking the other way, however, and she couldn't get any information about the subject. She kept reading over her letter, hoping that George would turn to her and say something. It was awkward for her to sit there trying to puzzle out her thoughts on the matter when she so desperately wanted to see his reaction to the news first. A few moments later she realized that she needed to see his face to gauge his reaction so desperately because she wanted the marriage…thought perhaps not as soon as was suggested by the Ministry. She really liked George and they knew quite a lot about each other. There were definitely worse options.

"They've gone too far," Percy kept muttering. Ron and Hermione were arguing about the virtues of Ron having Lavender for a sister-in-law across from Mary and George and Ginny was still embracing Harry, pleased as pie to have been paired with the love of her life. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were conversing quietly at the head of the table about Mr. Weasley getting more information about the new law. George still hadn't looked at Mary and kept poking Percy to keep himself distracted from Mary's reaction to their pairing.

Finally after almost an hour of the mini conversations, Mr. Weasley stood up and instructed everyone to quiet down. "I'll find out about what's going on with this marriage law tomorrow and we will have a real discussion tomorrow at dinner. I expect all of you to be here, even though two of you ladies aren't my children. This concerns all of you. Percy, bring this Lavender girl with you as well. I'm going to bed now, help your mother clean up and get to bed yourselves. Tomorrow is going to be an important day." Mr. Weasley trekked upstairs leaving his children buzzing about new information around the table.

Having nothing better to do, Mary tucked the letter into her pocket and helped Mrs. Weasley clean up the kitchen. The others seemed to be too involved in their conversations to help out, though she was sure George wasn't getting as much enjoyment out of tormenting Percy as he pretended. Mrs. Weasley thanked her and then followed her husband's route up the stairs.

With a sigh, Mary spun on the spot and a loud 'pop' marked her exit. George immediately looked up. "She left?" he asked himself out loud.

"Well obviously. This is chaos," Percy said, standing up and eager to make his own exit. George stopped him, however.

"Did she look pissed?"

"How the hell should I know? You were badgering me, remember?" With a disgruntled huff Percy retreated from the table and another loud 'pop' signaled his exit. George left his companions, who were still highly involved in their own discussions, and made his was up to his bedroom. Charlie had gone and the room seemed empty once again and he considered moving back into the flat. At least there he could be kept company by Fred's portrait.


	3. Darkness and Light

Chapter Three: Darkness and Light

It was Tuesday afternoon and Mary hadn't spoken to George since the revelation that they were paired to be married. She had been excited, but it hadn't seemed like George felt the same way. After tormenting herself for an entire day wondering how George felt about their arranged marriage and whether or not he liked the idea of being with her she realized that she had romantic feelings for him. Feelings that quite possibly that went back for several years, but were unexplored. She couldn't bear to look at him and know that she was in love with him and that he didn't want to be with her and so she had decided to avoid him. She hadn't gone to the Burrow to find out more about the new marriage laws and didn't want to face him.

She finally cleaned herself up at 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning to meet with Minerva McGonnagal about a job as the potions master. Professor McGonnagal was thrilled, as George had predicted she would be, and offered Mary the position, which Mary immediately accepted. She was also given a tour of the Greenhouses and of Hagrid's cottage by the new Headmistress and Hagrid himself. New plants were blooming and the land that had been damaged by the war was healing. She found comfort in the fact that like the Wizarding community, the school was determined to prosper again.

After the tour of the grounds, Professor McGonnagal took her into the dungeons to show her the space that she would be teaching and working in. It was much as Mary remembered it, minus Snape, of course. She decided that before the school year officially began she would redecorate and clean the place up. Slughorn had left it in a sorry state and Mary couldn't help hating him for that. At least Snape had kept his space clean.

When her visit to Hogwarts was over, Mary made her way to Hogsmeade to where the shop stood, lime green words announcing that Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was once again open for business. She took a deep breath and opened the door, finally gathering enough courage to face her fiancé. He was conspicuously absent upon her entrance, however.

Neville was reading a copy of the "Daily Prophet" when she walked in and smiled widely. "Hello, Mary. Fancy seeing you here."

"Yes, hello, Neville. How are you?" she asked politely. He seemed to have gained some confidence by fighting in the final battle with the Dark Lord and she couldn't help but smile.

"I'm great. It's not too busy at the moment. Lunchtime, y'know." He beamed as she nodded. "George apparently thinks I'm doing well. I'll only be here for a year or so, though. I want to take over for Professor Sprout when she retires."

"That's a good thing. I hear that you were amazing at Herbology. I'm going to be teaching Potions this year," Mary said, hating herself for killing time, but not wanting to hurt Neville's feelings. "Listen, Neville, is George around? I need to talk to him?"

"He's taking a personal day and asked me to let anyone who needed to see him know." Neville started looking a little nervous. Perhaps it was the flash of desperation in Mary's eyes that put him on edge. Just then Fred's painting whooshed over and broke some of the tension, much to both of their reliefs.

"Hello Longbottom, I see you're chatting up a pretty lady on the job. Don't make me have to fire you: you're decent to have around." The portrait turned to Mary then and grinned widely. "Hello, love. What does my sister-in-law to be want with that brother of mine?"

"George said specifically not to let anyone bother him today," Neville pointed out to the painted Fred. "Wait—did he just call you his sister-in- law to be?"

"That's right," Mary told him. "That's why I need to see George. It's about our appointment tomorrow. We have to talk about a few things…"

"If he asks I'm going to tell him you forced me to let you through," Neville said after considering his situation for a moment. Mary smiled brightly and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Smart man. I would have had to force you had you refused me. Sorry about this, though." She made her way toward the backroom where she knew there was a set of stairs that would lead her up to George's flat. As she disappeared she heard Fred's portrait telling Neville that he would either tell George the truth or that George would find out from Fred how the Mary situation had been dealt with. She heard Neville's protests and then Fred's laugh and knew that the painting really had channeled the spirit of Fred Weasley.

Her heart was beating fiercely as she ascended the stairs and realized that she was about to put herself in a possibly uncomfortable situation. She would soon be forced to admit her feelings for the man that had known her since childhood and who, previously, she had thought of as a best friend. She got to the top of the stairs and took a deep breath before opening the door. Stepping inside she gave the place a quick sweep and realized that George was out of sight somewhere. The living room was cluttered with food packages, old copies of the "Daily Prophet" and the "Quibbler," and various product parts. It was much like she had expected it and as she remembered it to have been when Fred lived there as well.

Her heartbeat quickened when she saw a corner of blue material in the kitchen, but sank again when she realized it was a half-charred apron that the boys must have used while attempting to make their own meals. The kitchen was just as unorganized and as untidy and she determined that if she and George actually got married that she would help him find places for all of his things so that the kitchen table could actually be used for eating.

She opened the door just to the side of the stove and found a small closet with a washing machine and dryer and stacks of boxes of materials for products yet to be made or invented. She shut the door again and steeled herself, then crossed the living room again to open one of the two remaining doors, the one she surmised to lead to his bedroom. He was not to be seen in the bedroom either, however. She stepped inside and looked around, just to make sure he wasn't buried under a crate of Puking Pastilles or the like and discovered another room full of product materials. There were two large beds, both unmade, and two dressers in the room, and in one corner was a pile of clothes that looked suspiciously as though they could do with a washing.

Mary was just about to enter the last room, the bathroom, which could be accessed from either the living room or bedroom when George emerged wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. She was taken aback and sat down on one of the beds to calm her breathing before saying anything.

"Where did you come from?" he asked, a little surprised as well. He ran a hand through his damp hair and looked past her to the comb lying on the bed.

"I just thought we should get a chance to talk before this big meeting," she said after a moment. He simply picked up the comb an attempted to pull it through his long hair and she continued. "I hope you haven't been thinking that I was avoiding you, but I've been a little busy with trying to get a job."

He cleared his throat. "I didn't think that at all. I hope you haven't thought that I was avoiding you either, it's just been busy in the shop."

"Right." She looked around the room, trying to find a way to get out what she needed to say. He beat her to speaking, however.

"We have that meeting tomorrow morning and I suppose I'll see you there."

"Wait, don't you want to talk about us…I mean we're getting married in less than a week," she pointed out.

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't think that we'd ever be…it's just that I'm...and you're so…We don't fit I suppose…"

"What do you mean 'we don't fit'?" she asked.

"Well, I just didn't expect to be marrying you. I don't think we're an ideal match. We'll just have to deal with this." With that he headed back into the bathroom, but she followed him.

"Why do we not make an ideal match?" she demanded, getting a little defensive as he tried to dismiss any chance of them connecting.

He sighed and turned away, hoping she didn't see the hurt in his eyes. "You're beautiful and I'm just me," he said very quickly. It took her a moment to realize what he had said and he was working furiously at his hair, trying not to meet her eyes.

"George, I think I've been in love with you for a while. You're a great guy. Are you just worried about how I think you look?"

"No." His face was turning red, something she had never seen before. "You hang out with us and all, but you're way more than I thought I'd get."

She smiled gently and pulled him around to face her. "Did you hear me? I love you. I thought you were put off by getting paired with me." His eyes searched hers, trying to find the truth. When he realized that she was telling him exactly what was on her mind he bent his head and claimed her lips in a heated kiss. She responded just as he had hoped, putting her arms around his neck and bringing him closer to her.

He ran his tongue over her full bottom lip, and when granted entry traced her tongue, and then the two of them began a short battle for dominance. He won almost immediately, however, not that she minded. He pressed her up against the door and ran his hands along her sides and down her belly. As she began to explore the contours of his back the realization that he was naked save for a towel hit her. It was exciting and scary at the same time. He slowly led her back out to the bedroom and guided her down onto his bed. His mouth wandered from her lips down the side of her neck and over her collarbone, then back up to the tender spot behind her ear. At the same time his hands wandered under her top and caressed her abdomen, and then played with the bottom of her bra.

He broke his kiss to strip of her top and bra, and then brought his mouth down to her full breasts. He kissed and licked one, then the other until she was panting softly into his ear. She was so soft and sweet, yet surprisingly uninhibited as she pressed his face into her cleavage and moaned lightly as he took a rosy nipple into his mouth. He teased her for several moments before moving to do the same with the other erect bud. He decided that he would spend more time on her breasts in the future, but that he needed to move on for the moment as his erection was pressing insistently against her thigh.

She ran her fingertips lightly down his chest and stomach and then carefully unwrapped the towel, freeing his throbbing member from its flimsy container. He inhaled sharply as her soft, warm hand enveloped him and cautiously caressed him. He kissed her passionately once more, then began hastily unfastening the button and zipper on her jeans.

A loud 'pop' issued forth, interrupting the couple and making both jump. "Merlin's Beard!" a voice exclaimed as George grabbed for the towel once again and Mary crossed her arms to cover her breasts. Charlie stood before them grinning like a Cheshire cat when both parties were covered enough to see who had caught them half naked.

"Getting started a little early, are we?" the older Weasley brother asked with a chuckle as George threw a stray shoe at him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Mum sent me to fetch you and Mary for dinner. The two of you missed the last session of regulations and such for this new law. Convenient that I should find you together."

"Give us five minutes, would you?" George asked. "And turn around while she gets her clothes on or I'll have to hex you."

"Fine, fine. Ruin all my fun," Charlie grumbled, making his way into the bathroom and closing the door to give George and Mary some privacy.

"Prat," George mumbled under his breath as he searched his clothes for a pair of trousers. Mary pulled on her bra and shirt once again and the two of them joined Charlie in the living room.

"Have you ever thought of cleaning this place up?" the older brother asked. "I dunno why she even agreed to meet you up here with all of this junk piled up."

"Like your place is any better," George said, snorting.

"Well, let's get on with it." Charlie disappeared with a wink and another loud 'pop.' Mary and Fred shared a look before following him.


	4. Life Changes

Chapter Four: Life Changes

When everyone had arrived at the Burrow and settled down in the living room, Mr. Weasley cleared his throat and gathered their attention. "As you all know, the Marriage Law has been instituted for all witches and wizards of age or nearly of age. There are rules to this law that you might not be aware of that I want you all to pay very close attention to," he told them. With a sigh he pulled out a list from his pocket and started reading off rules. "Number One: the couple must 'make the marriage official'…consummation. Number Two: the witch must get pregnant within the first year of marriage or annulment is the consequence. If no children are conceived then both parties go back into the marriage pool. Number Three: there will be no trading of spouses once the spouses are assigned. Number Four: If either party should seek 'comfort' outside of the marital bonds then loss of wand is mandatory. Number Five: these bonds are breakable only by the ministry and only in the case of adultery (in which case both parties go back into the pool) or of non-conception. Number Six: if after three pairings one is unable to produce a child, that person is to be exiled from the magical community. All memories shall be replaced and wand revoked."

Mr. Weasley laid the parchment out on the table by the chair in which he sat. "Do you understand the severity of these laws? The Ministry is determined to get the number of magical beings up again, and fast. Our world won't survive much longer unless something is done soon. There are supplements to people already bound together in marriage as well: if the couple is between 17 and 40 another child must be conceived."

"Won't ousting people from the community be losing magical population?" Ginny asked her father.

"They don't see people unable to produce magical children as all that magical," Hermione interjected angrily. "The pig-headed, foul beasts."

"Yes, well it won't do us any good to argue. What's done is done," Mr. Weasley said. "And this is one law we can't afford to ignore." He patted Ginny gently on the shoulder before disappearing outside and heading for his garage. Mrs. Weasley headed toward the kitchen to start dinner and the rest of the group sat around for a moment taking the information in.

"I can't believe we're supposed to start reproducing as soon as we've finished school," Hermione stated to no one in particular. "How are we to get jobs?"

"I think the Ministry expects everyone to work and be able to take care of children. Or to find someone to care for the child while you work," Bill said, running a hand through his long hair.

"I expect that there will be a boost in child care witches, what with the entire magical community reproducing," Charlie offered. He too was messing with his hair, but he was annoyed, thinking about the loss of said hair earlier when his mother had decided it was too long. His face scrunched up thinking about it.

"So who are you supposed to marry?" George asked the dragon keeper.

"Katie Bell. I think she finished school when you and Fred were supposed to."

"Yes. She was a chaser on the house team," Harry said, smiling. "I'd wondered what had happened to her."

"I heard Wood is paired with Angelina," Hermione told him absently. "And Luna's paired with Neville."

"Neville Longbottom?" George asked with a grin.

"Yes, Neville Longbottom," she replied, jotting something down onto a bit of old parchment and shoving it into her pocket.

"They'll have children?" Ron asked, clearly shocked. "I dunno if I want to see that."

"Ronald, they will have lovely children," Hermione chided. "You'll be lucky if we have any nice children at all."

"Are you saying that I don't have nice genes?" he demanded, reddening. They could all tell that another fight was about to happen.

"I'm going to go help your Mum," Mary told George, not wanting to be around for another Ron/Hermione battle. The others found excuses to leave the two 'love birds' alone as well. Bill suggested a game of Quidditch and most everyone else was quick to follow. Ron joined the players and Hermione huffily joined Mrs. Weasley and Mary in the kitchen.

"I can't believe that Ron is so callus about this whole thing," she stated.

"Well, dear, you know Ron…he's a little moody," Mrs. Weasley said, not wanting to get in the middle of anything. Hermione continued to mutter under her breath about Ron's antics until Mrs. Weasley suggested that she go outside and set the table.

"Feisty, that one," the older woman commented to Mary. "Would you mind stirring the soup, dear?"

"Not at all." Mary picked up one of the large wooden spoons and dipped it into the thick broth and meat. Mrs. Weasley turned around to pull some freshly baked bread out of the oven, and then turned back to her future daughter-in-law with a mischievous grin that Mary distinctly recalled seeing on the twin's faces on many occasions.

"I think she and Ron were made for each other. They might actually do each other some good." With a wink, Mrs. Weasley directed the knives to chop potatoes and carrots to go into the soup. "How are you and George making out?"

"Fine, thanks," Mary said, blushing and hoping that her pink cheeks didn't give her away as having been intimate with George moments before arriving at the Burrow.

"That's good to hear. I know he's lonely without Fred. We all miss him…" Her eyes got misty over her departed son, but she pulled herself together again.

"I think the portrait of Fred in the shop helps," Mary said with a smile. "You should drop by and see it." She busied herself with stirring the soup again, hoping that Mrs. Weasley wouldn't burst into tears in the middle of dinner preparation.

"I think I will. Heaven knows I need to visit and then try to convince George to clean up a bit. Have you seen the flat?" Mrs. Weasley had once again inadvertently brought up the tender subject of possible intimacy between her son and Mary without even realizing. Mary cleared her throat, hoping that her voice didn't give their bedroom behavior away.

"Yes, it's quite cluttered," Mary told her, once again blushing.

"But that's George. All of my children just do whatever they please. Not caring about the mess or the stress on their mother." She sniffed. "You'd think they wanted to drive me to St. Mungo's."

"They love you, they're just a little wrapped up in their own lives," Mary said, patting her gently on the shoulder.

"You're right, dear, and they do have busy lives. I can't believe that they've all entered into such a life so early. Especially Ginny…not even of age and fighting off death eaters. I wish they were still as innocent as children. I suppose I'll at least have grandchildren to look forward to soon. Maybe they'll behave a little better."

Mary smiled. She had a feeling that George's children would be anything but the perfect children who never caused any trouble. George was a trickster and there was little reason to believe his children would be any different. She helped Mrs. Weasley finish dinner, and then went outside to call everyone in to eat.

She told George of her new position at Hogwarts over dinner and was congratulated by each of her friends and the family that she was being welcomed into. "This means you'll give us all 'O's right?" Ron asked, his mouth full of bread.

"Eat with your mouth closed, Ronald," Hermione admonished. "We shouldn't expect any special treatment. We've got to do the work if we want the grade."

"That's right. I'd better not hear about you slacking off in potions now either," Mrs. Weasley told him. "She may be your sister-in-law, but you've still got to do the work. Especially because she's your sister-in-law!" Ron groaned and flashed a pleading look in Mary's direction after his mother's attention was elsewhere. She pretended not to see his sad request and turned to Charlie instead.

"So when have you been appointed to marry?" she asked him, pointedly ignoring Ron.

"The end of next month. I think they chose the dates at random. You and George are some of the first ones to go."

"Oh. Well I suppose that makes sense. They can't have everyone marry at the same time, I suppose." She glanced over at George to gage his reaction, but he was quietly chatting with his father about something. Mary didn't know whether or not to be suspicious, but he turned back to the conversation after a moment and she shrugged the feeling off.

"Have they decided when you guy are set to wed?" George asked Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione.

"Well school finishes up in May of next year and Ronald and I are supposed to be married on 1 June," Hermione told him.

"14 July for us," Harry said, smiling at Ginny.

"That's nice. Fine and well for you four, but Fleur is less than pleased that we're required to have a child immediately. We could be separated and placed into other marriages if we don't conceive within a year as well," Bill told them while Fleur was helping Mrs. Weasley bring out wedding planning books. "Uh-oh, mate: looks like Mum wants to decorate for your big affair." He winked at George, who made a rude hand gesture and glared at the beckoning smile of his mother.

"Don't worry about it. I'll go help her decide on things. I suppose men aren't interested in planning weddings," Mary smiled and he watched her get up and join Mrs. Weasley and Fleur on the other end of the table. Bill drew him into a conversation about the Ireland Quidditch team and he almost completely forgot about the plans going on a few feet away.

While Bill was turned away and with the pretense of going inside to relieve his bladder he passed by his fiancé and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I rather like yellow roses," he whispered. Before she could comment, however, he had disappeared. She smiled to herself, knowing that he must actually care about how their wedding was set up to suggest something. She would keep that their little secret, except to suggest yellow roses as the bouquet. Mrs. Weasley was thrilled.

George escorted Mary back to her Grandfather's house after being pressured into spending the evening with his brothers and had to leave their earlier experience to be continued. He kissed her softly before leaving her sitting with her Grandfather in the living room. "What was that all about? I thought you two weren't talking much?" the older man asked his granddaughter quizzically.

"We're talking now," she said simply. His eyes twinkled as he laughed his approval.

"Did you get the Hogwarts position?" he asked after calming down and taking a long drag off of his pipe.

"In fact I did. You're looking at the new potions master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she said proudly. He grinned at her widely.

"This is a spectacular day in Darkbow history. Properly engaged and a potions master. My little dragonfly is growing up."

"I'm already grown, Grandpa," she stated.

"That's what I mean," he said, still chuckling. He gazed into the fire and was quiet for a long time. She watched him for a while before declaring her intent of getting some sleep. "Big day tomorrow. Ministry trip and all," he said with a warm smile.

"Goodnight Grandpa. I'll be up in time to get your breakfast." She placed a kiss on his forehead then ascended the stairs and fell into bed. It had been a long day and as her grandfather had stated, the next would be just as long and important. She would be contracting to marry George Weasley, the marauder soon to turn lover. What a thought that was. She curled up around a large fluffy pillow and drifted off into the dark oblivion of sleep.


	5. Takin' Care of Business

Chapter Five: Takin' Care of Business

The office of Regina Yeban was hot and stuffier than the Divination classroom with the air full of tea steam in May. Both Mary and George were sweaty and more than a little uncomfortable as she explained the rules that they had heard from Mr. Weasley the night before. The signed the marital contract as soon as the opportunity was offered to them and promptly left the Ministry in hopes of changing out of their dressy attire. George had complained non-stop about having to wear dress robes to the Ministry of Magic, but his mother had threatened to hex him if he took the robes off and so he grudgingly complied.

Mary suggested that they stop in at her grandfather's house after George changed to get some lunch as her grandfather had wanted to congratulate George personally before the wedding ceremony. He cheerfully agreed, as food had been offered, and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before joining her at the Darkbow house. Mary answered the door when he knocked and led him into the living room where Mr. Darkbow sat eating a roast beef sandwich.

"Hello, George, come in. Don't worry, I don't jinx anymore. Mary already made you a sandwich and there is some pumpkin juice or butterbeer in the refrigerator, whichever takes your fancy."

"Hello, Mr. Darkbow." George smiled and sat in a chair opposite the older man.

"Please, call me Eliasus. You're practically family now." A wide smile split across the elderly gentleman's face as he patted George on the shoulder. Mary brought back a few butterbeers and her own sandwich and joined the men in eating.

"I hope he's not giving you too much trouble," she said, winking at her grandfather. "He may look like an innocent old man, but he's still an excitable old bugger." George laughed along with the older man at Mary's description. Her grandfather had worked as head auror in his day and had spent the last ten years enjoying an early retirement, which included him puttering around in the garden and giving Arthur Weasley a place to keep and tinker with several muggle projects his wife didn't know about. The old man still had a lot of life and curiosity in his system.

After their lunch, during which Eliasus Darkbow questioned George shamelessly about his previous encounters with women, as well as about his joke shop, Mary escorted George back to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. She said hello to Neville and informed George of her plans to go to Hogwarts to start fixing up her new office and dungeon classroom. He bade her good luck and sent her off to work with a kiss.

Upon her arrival, Mary decided to start cleaning out the entirety of her space of anything that could have had anything to do with Horace Slughorn. It was a messy job, but she got the majority of the grime and remnants of the late Slytherin out of the office and classroom with her wand. She used a cleaning potion to finish cleaning and moved on to checking out the closet that was usually kept stocked with ingredients both for students to use and that the professor kept for themselves. In a back corner of the closet, half covered with a pile of rubble was a case with a double 'S' engraved across the front and she paused to look over the piece. It was clearly something that had belonged to Severus Snape when he had held the position as Potions master, though how it had gotten back into the supply closet after Snape's death was a mystery. She smiled, remembering the sour wizard who always grudgingly gave her approval.

It had been hard to accept that a Ravenclaw was as adept at potions as he, a Slytherin, but as she was a pureblood and direct descendant from Rowena Ravenclaw, he had some respect for her beyond that of professor and adept student. She was convinced that deep down he approved of her skills, however; his demeanor and outward being prohibited him from saying as much.

She took the case into the newly cleaned office and placed it on the top shelf on the wall, where she would also put her Hogwarts diploma, photographs of her friends and family, and her small memorial for all those lost to the Dark Lord. She smiled, looking around at the place that was to be hers and sighed. It would be less than a week until she had to report for classes and she still had yet to make out a list of required items for the course. She sat down at the black cherry desk and pulled out a quill and some parchment from her bag, tucked her wand into the waistband of her jeans, and proceeded to write out a list. Before she left to gather some of her things to decorate, furnish, and supply the potions area, she dropped the list of things off with Professor McGonnagal in the headmasters office.

Mary finished her work at 7 p.m., having brought in a long black couch for the office, and apparated back to her grandfather's house. George would be having dinner with Lee Jordan and she wanted to spend some time going over the wedding details with Mrs. Weasley after she made dinner for herself and her grandfather. He thoroughly enjoyed himself, and then tottered off to join Arthur in the basement to work a new and improved flying car. Mary cleaned up and then walked across the hill to the Burrow where Mrs. Weasley was already in wedding mode.

"Thank Merlin!" Ginny whispered as Mary entered. She was wearing a pale yellow summer dress that Mary assumed Mrs. Weasley had made as a bride's maid dress. "I've been here all day and the only break I got from the plans was dinner."

"I'm sorry," Mary said, knowing that Ginny was only suffering through plans because of her absence. Ginny's face softened and she flopped down onto a chair.

"As soon as she's busy with you I'm going to sneak off and go see Harry," Ginny admitted. "She won't even notice, she's so busy with this stuff. I dunno how I'll survive my own wedding plans."

Mary laughed. "Well perhaps you'll be more interested in your own."

Ginny smiled in return. "I sure hope so." Extremely girly things were not Ginny's style. Mary winked at her, and then went into the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was testing out cake batter to announce her arrival. Mrs. Weasley's delighted coo signaled to Ginny that she was in the clear and before her mother could call her into the kitchen to show Mary her dress she had gone upstairs.

George didn't see his bride-to-be all day on Friday, which put him in a foul mood and inspired him to go back to work after dinner to finish testing some of the new Wonder Witch products with Neville. He had almost perfected the skin smoothing potion that would allow witches to take 10 years off of their appearance when Neville announced that he had to meet Luna and his grandmother for dinner. Apologizing profusely he left George alone to test the products. Fortunately for George, he was able to reverse any of the effects the potion had on his skin fairly easily alone. He swore under his breath, however when one of the bottles of perfected formula fell to the floor and splattered all over his feet.

"Having issues by yourself?" the portrait of his twin asked, drifting lazily over.

"You don't know the half of it," George muttered, cleaning up the mess with a wave of his wand. "It was easier…before…"

"Don't get all sentimental on me. You'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow," the painting said. "You're still a Weasley twin and you'll get it right eventually.

"Dammit, I miss you!" George told his twin.

"Who wouldn't?" Fred answered back. "Look, I miss you as well, but I'm here aren't I. Painting or not. So don't dwell on it so much."

"I'd like to see you try and not dwell on it," George retorted, trying to blink back the tears that threatened to spill. He hadn't been so lonely since the night that Fred had been killed. He felt the heavy weight of loneliness pressing in on him and had to shake himself. The painting was right. At least he could remember his twin and have him essentially still there in painting form. "I wish you could be my best man," he stated.

"Well I suppose I could, though I dunno how Mum would take it to have a painting in that place instead of Ron or Charlie or Bill." Percy wasn't even an option as neither of the twins had forgiven him completely for deserting the family.

"You are going to be my best man," George stated. "I don't care what they say. That was a bloody brilliant idea."

"Obviously, brother of mine. You know where it came from." George smiled, happier after deciding to use the painted Fred since he couldn't use the real one. After a while he went up to the flat and drifted off. The wedding that had been so strangely decided on was happening the next day.


	6. Destiny

Chapter Six: Destiny

"Bloody Hell you're using a painting instead of one of your brothers as a best man!" Mrs. Weasley roared, red in the face from arguing with George. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes tiny slits and usually he wouldn't have dared cross her when she was so angry, but he had already decided and would not take 'no' for an answer. He wanted Fred to be his best man and if the painting was the only way to have that, then so be it. His mother was definitely not feeling the same way about the situation, however.

All of the other Weasley children, Harry and Hermione knew to steer clear of the first floor, where George and Mrs. Weasley were going having their row. They busied themselves with getting ready for the wedding upstairs and hoped to Merlin that she didn't finish George off and come after one of them for some minor detail gone wrong. They were fortunate; however, as George stood his ground about the painting and she poured all her fury into the battle with him.

"I don't see what the big deal is, Mum. It's like Fred's there if the portrait is there," Fred told her indignantly, growing as red as she was.

Mrs. Weasley looked scandalized. "There is no replacement for your brother, George!"

"Yes, I know that!" he exploded, finally broken down to telling her everything. "Why the hell do you think I charmed the bloody thing? I miss him and this is the only way to have some of him back!"

Mrs. Weasley was silent for a few long moments as George's chest heaved with passion. She looked him over as though seeing him in a different light, as if he had somehow changed right before her eyes into something she'd never known he could be. "Alright," she finally uttered, barely above a whisper. Without another word she turned and walked into her bedroom to prepare herself. It completely surprised George and he realized that she must have finally seen how much it meant to him.

He took a few slow, deep breaths to try to calm himself and to let the blood in his cheeks dissipate and return to his veins. Upon gathering enough of his mind to function again, the stalked up the stairs and made his way to his bedroom to get ready for the wedding that was scheduled to begin within the hour, his wedding in fact.

Each member of the wedding party proceeded down the aisle between the rows of seats, beaming and nodding to the seated guests, arm in arm with their counterpart. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were first, then the charmed portrait of Fred with Luna Lovegood, then Harry and Ginny, Then Bill and Fleur, and finally Ron and Hermione. George stood waiting and ready for them to take their places before stepping out into the trail of yellow petals and making his way down the aisle to the front of the group that had gathered to watch him make his vows.

The alter was set up nicely in front of the fifty seats set up on either side of the adorned strip of land that served as the aisle. The Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt had offered to marry George and Mary personally as he was both good friend and instigator of the law. His face was unreadable as George proceeded to take his place in front of the crowd to wait for his soon-to-be bride.

The organ player, an eccentric looking older witch with bright blue hair began playing the wedding march and Mary stepped out of the shadows of her grandfather's doorway with old Eliasus at her side onto the trail of petals and George couldn't help but beam. She had on a long, form fitting white dress with off the shoulder straps and a sweetheart cut neckline and looked absolutely beautiful. Her honey colored hair swayed as she walked and reflected the bright sunshine in a way that George never thought possible. Her eyes shone dark and chocolaty and he knew that the smile in them was only for him. He only had a few moments left as a bachelor and seeing her made him realize that that wasn't such a bad thing.

Fred's portrait wolf-whistled as she approached, but held its tongue when given a warning look by Mrs. Weasley. Mary stepped up beside George and from that point on the ceremony seemed to fly by as he looked her over, again and again. "Do you promise to love and protect, honor and serve this witch with all of your being for the rest of your living days, George Prewett Weasley?" Kingsley asked, jolting George out of his staring.

"Of course," he answered. "And when a Weasley commits, he commits." A giggle went through the crowd and Kingsley gave them a stern look before continuing.

"Do you promise to love and to serve, to honor and to give yourself to this wizard for the rest of your life, Mary Rowena Darkbow?"

"With all that I am," she said smiling.

"I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. George Weasley!" Kingsley announced. George immediately leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips as the crowd cheered them on, all except for Fred's portrait who was grumbling over not getting to see enough snogging out the newlyweds. They made their way down the aisle and into Eliasus's house where they were left alone for a moment to change clothes before they were expected to show up at the Burrow for the reception. As soon as they were inside George kissed her, pressing her to his body and immediately sighing at the feel of her.

"Want to skive off and just go back to the flat?" he asked, when they finally broke the kiss to breathe.

Mary laughed. "Your mum would kill us, and at the moment I'm too happy to die."

George groaned, but conceded. "Fred would never approve of me actually going to the party instead of extricating you from that pretty dress and consummating the thing right now. We must adhere to the laws the ministry sets forth…"

"You are some kind of crazy, George Weasley; but I love you." Mary giggled. "Besides, since when would Fred approve of adhering to rules?"

"It is a dilemma…" George offered, kissing her again. "Adhering to the rules or doing what we're scheduled to do…never thought that this situation would ever be an option." After another kiss, he let her go up to her bedroom and put on a less formal dress, then he changed into khakis and a semi-wrinkled shirt which he knew his mother would disapprove of, and they walked over the hill and down to the Burrow.

The party was already in full swing when they arrived, guests excitedly greeting them when they entered. They greeted friends and family together until George was pulled away by Lee Jordan, Bill, Charlie, and Oliver Wood for a drink and Mary was brought to the front of a group of girls to toss her bouquet. The beautiful yellow roses fell into the hands of Ginny Weasley who looked as though anyone who opposed her grabbing them would suffer a terrible fate and Mary cheered along with the other girls. "Congratulations, Ginny," she told the younger girl.

"Congratulations to you, new sister," came the reply and she smiled in return. Mary then wandered into the kitchen where her grandfather was talking to the Weasleys and, Mary suspected, trying to get to the cake early.

"You really didn't have to pay for the entire wedding," Mrs. Weasley was telling him.

"No trouble at all. She's my only grandchild and we've got more than enough to do it." He smiled, edging closer to the large, 8 tiered chocolate cake.

"There you are," Mary announced, winking at her grandfather. "Shouldn't you be mingling with the guests?"

"Well I was…" he started, but she cut him off.

"Mrs. Weasley is very keen. You'll have to try harder to coax that cake out of her early." Mary grinned when Mrs. Weasley turned to Eliasus, slightly shocked. He pinkened and shrugged amiably with a grin.

"It was worth a try, wasn't it?"

Mary laughed and Mrs. Weasley couldn't help but laugh as well. Mr. Weasley, reddened as well and Mrs. Weasley realized that he'd been helping the older man try to distract her while he got cake early. "Arthur!" she intoned, scandalized. "You would ruin your own son's wedding?" He spluttered, trying to protest, but she was having none of his non-existent excuses. She escorted both men out of the kitchen and Mary followed, amused by their antics.

She found George again in the back, surrounded by a crowd of men and assumed he was telling jokes so she joined the throng. It wasn't long, however, before she realized that he was being served shots of firewhiskey through some new invention. She broke through the crowd and pulled him away from the boys with a wink and out onto the cleared space on the floor that had been reserved for dancing. They experienced their first dance as man and wife and most of the crowd applauded when the music changed.

After much dancing, some coming from unexpectedly, thanks to George spiking the pumpkin juice with a dancing enhancer, Mrs. Weasley announced that it was time to cut the cake. She started pointedly at her husband and Eliasus as she said this and both men grinned sheepishly back. Much food, more dancing, jokes, and lively conversations took place and while George was enjoying himself thoroughly, he was steadily becoming impatient for the end of the celebrations so he could have Mary alone.

They exchanged a multitude of meaningful glances while they were being entertained by party guests and in George's case entertaining the guests, waiting for the time to come when they could go back to the flat. Finally at nearly two in the morning Mrs. Weasley announced that she and Mr. Weasley were going to bed and the crowd started to disperse. "You lot can stay up as long as you want, but remember that we have to go get books tomorrow," she said as she passed Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry. They groaned and waited until the rest of the guests left before saying their goodbyes to George and Mary and traipsing up the stairs to get some rest.

"Don't forget to take Fred with you," Ginny reminded them with a yawn.

"And don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Ron yelled down the stairs.

"There are rules to this marriage, Ron. We aren't going to be celibate!" George replied with a wink at his blushing bride. He grabbed Fred's portrait from behind the couch and took Mary's hand. "You ready to leave?" he asked.

"Depends, do I get to join you?" Fred asked giggling. George rolled his eyes.

"If you are," Mary told him.

"Right. Ok." He turned on the spot and the three apparated into the joke shop. "This is where you get off, brother of mine," he said to the painting.

"You guys get to have all the fun!"

"Yes, well, I can't change that. And don't even suggest watching, you voyeur."

"I'll bring you a painting of a lovely young lady that's hanging in my room at Grandpa's if you like, then next time I'm over there," Mary offered.

"Fine. I don't expect it before Christmas, though, with the way you two have been ogling each other all night."

"Sorry to cut this conversation short, but you understand," George said, placing his hand on the small of Mary's back.

"Yes, alright. Have your fun. I'll be down her wanking off in this frame if you need me. Try to be loud."

"Goodnight, Fred," Mary replied, letting George lead her into the back room, then up the stairs to the flat. When they entered, Mary was amazed. "You tidied up?"

"Miracles do happen every now and again," he replied as she surveyed the living room. It was completely free of papers or product parts. "And the bedroom's even more neat," he said with a wink. She took a deep breath and let him wrap her in his arms and kiss her. They began moving toward the bedroom door and he paused to let her have a good look around.

"Never mind the cleanliness," she said as passion for George washed over her. "I think we have a law to adhere to."


	7. Come Together

Chapter Seven: Come Together

George led Mary over to the bed and kissed her, laying her back and taking in the sight of her in the short blue dress. Her long legs smooth to the touch and capable of making him give in to his need immediately, but he restrained himself, wanting to spend the night making love to her properly instead of taking her like some animal rutting in the woods. There would be time for fast, wild sex later, he rationalized.

Slowly he lowered himself to cover her, supporting himself with his forearms. He kissed her again, tasting strawberries and cream and let himself sink into the pleasure of being near her warmth. The smell of her, the taste, the feel—all of it was more intoxicating than any firewhiskey he had ever consumed. She wrapped her arms around him and he was pulled more deeply into thrall of her love.

He pulled back slowly, determined to explore every inch of her glorious body and to make love to her fully before the night was over. He slowly drew up the hem of the dress she wore until it was level with the bottom of her bra, then helped her sit up and tossed the garment to the side. He looked down at her scantily clad body and had to once again restrain the urge to quickly unclothe her and shag her until they were both spent and sweaty in the floor. She was beautiful. Her matching black satin thong and bra hugged her body and turned him on like no other skivvy-wearing girl had ever been able to.

He kissed her belly button, and then trailed kisses upward and over the thin material covering her breasts. He gently took one nipple into his mouth and suckled it through the satin until the material was soaked through. She sighed contentedly and when he looked up at the pleasure shining through her eyes he knew that they would be happy together for the rest of their lives, exactly as they had promised in front of everyone they knew earlier that day.

He moved to do the same to the other breast and felt her hands curling in his hair, sensually relaxing, then gently squeezing as he worked the sensitive part. He cupped her breasts and glided his tongue over the hollow where her throat met her collar bones and heard an exquisite purr that made him happy to be a man. He claimed her lips once more, his tongue searching the depths of her mouth, before returning to his exploration of her body.

He kissed his way down her belly again and stopped at the barrier of her underwear. After a moment's consideration he skipped over her covered parts and moved down to her thighs. He kissed along her long legs and back up again, stopping once again when he found the barrier of her underwear. She watched him, eyes hazy with lust, as he lightly kissed the front of the thong. He sat up again and watched her for a moment, taking in the motions of her abdomen when she breathed and the way she blinked slowly, comfortable in his presence. He placed his hands under her on her back and unhooked her bra after a moment, exposing her breasts completely, then went through the same process that he had been through while she had the bra on. Instead of stopping when he got to her underwear this time, however, he kissed her through them. Then, when she was no longer jumping every time he moved, he sat up and removed the thong as well.

He stood and looked her over once more. Naked she was even more beautiful, if it was possible, he decided. He pulled off his shirt and unfastened his trousers slowly, letting her watch him undress and hoping she got as much excitement out of him undressing as he had out of her slow extrication from her clothes. When he stood in nothing but his boxers he paused for half a second and then, not taking his eyes off of her, he pushed them down over his hips and let them drop to the floor, his erection bouncing free.

He waited as she looked his body over, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "I've never really done this before," she said, breaking the silence for the first time since they had fallen upon the bed. He nodded, not exactly expecting her to have no experience, but realizing that she hadn't had many boyfriends. The boys she had dated had all been unimportant in comparison to her friends and thus hadn't turned out to be very serious.

George moved back to the bed again and took her into his arms. He pressed his lips against hers once again and slowly began to intensify the connection, hoping that he didn't startle her. She cautiously explored his back with her hands then, growing bolder, ran her hands over his shoulders. He kissed her more passionately until she was as open to touching him as he was with her. When she ran her fingertips down his chest he shivered and hardened until he could no longer stand not touching her core. He slipped his hand between her thighs and found her already wet with anticipation.

He rubbed circled around her clit and then inserted one long finger into her. She moaned almost inaudibly and he felt the shiver run through her and into him via their connection. It was the most erotic thing George had ever experienced. He pushed a second finger into her and began to slowly move them in an easy rhythm within her. She held onto his shoulders as the excitement built up within her.

Before she went over the edge, however, he laid her back on the bed and placed the head of his throbbing cock at her entrance. He took a deep breath and kissed her again as he entered her slowly, pressing forward until his hips connected with her pelvic bone and he could go no further. She was warm and tight, the slick heat of her alone enough to drive him over the edge. He held back, nonetheless, wanting to make this a pleasurable experience for both of them and wanting it to last as long as possible.

She threw her head back into the pillows as he filled her with his manhood, stretching her and hurting a little, but feeling so right that she didn't want him to stop. He gave her a moment to adjust to his size and then pulled back, preparing to enter her again. Each thrust was less painful and more enjoyable than the last and within five minutes she was enjoying herself thoroughly. He had adopted a steady rhythm, rocking her body with his and soaking up the vibrations of her body as she panted against his neck. He could feel every movement she made and wanted to feel even more. His pace picked up as he tried desperately to turn her panting into moaning, or screaming even. He wanted her to feel the bliss that he was feeling being inside her.

"You feel amazing," he said, his voice deep with passion. She kissed him and brought him into a state of near frenzy. His pace quickened once more and he could hear her wordless intonations. He thrust faster and faster, moving into her less gently than he had planned, but more fully than he had ever imagined. She moaned something that sounded like his name and he shifted his hips to a slightly better angle to get her even more worked up.

"Oh…" she panted, clutching his back and wrapping her legs around his waist. "Ahh…"

Her every syllable an encouragement he continued his lusty lovemaking, feeling the pleasure building up within him. She was nearing the breaking point as well and as he hit that sweet spot inside her, her body lost control and she came, falling into sheer ecstasy, her body contracting around him. Her orgasm triggered his and he joined her in oblivion, shooting his seed deep inside her.

For a while they lay tangled together, him still inside of her, panting and utterly sated. But he moved and she felt an emptiness that she didn't even know she had ever had. He pulled her close to his larger body, however, and they became comfortable once again and she felt like she was home. It wasn't long after that that they fell asleep, both in awe of how perfectly they fit together. They didn't leave the flat at all the next day.

The first day of school dawned bright and early at Hogwarts Castle. Although the students wouldn't arrive until dinner time, the faculty were preparing for their arrival at 9 a.m. Professor McGonnagal had gathered all of the other professors together for a meeting at which she discussed the new rules and regulations so that if any students had questions, they could find answers with any off the teaching staff. She also warned that not everyone approved of Hogwarts opening its doors so soon after the great battle, but pointed out that students still had to learn and that just because the community was not yet fully healed, students could not afford to skip schooling as it would be hard to make up.

Lunch was served to them in the professor's meeting room and they continued going over new policies, etc. until nearly 4 p.m. The Hogwarts Express wasn't due until 6:30 and so she dismissed them to either prepare for their classes, which were to start within the week, or to take some leisure time for themselves. Most of the professors, Mary included, opted for the leisure time. It had been a long summer for everyone.

Mary decided to make a short trip to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes to see her new husband so she walked down to the entrance gate and, once outside, apparated into Diagon Alley. George was behind the counter helping Neville ring up a particularly large order for a portly gentleman in a long coat when she arrived. He beamed at her when she entered. "How was your day so far?" he asked as the customer left. There were several other people in the store shopping, but he swept her into his arms anyway and kissed her spiritedly.

"Pretty good. A lot of rules and standards and things that you are most likely not at all interested in, but other than that, not bad."

"That sounds awful. I dunno why you'd want to know the rules. Unless you intend to break them, that is…" George grinned mischievously. "I think we should sneak into McGonnagal's office and do dirty things."

"As fun as that sounds, I would like to keep this job," she replied with a smile. "You get an 'O' for effort, though."

"Well as long as I get one for something." He kissed her again.

"If you behave I'll take you down to the dungeons and do naughty things with you," she whispered against his cheek.

"Oh Merlin, my fantasy come true: a shag in Snape's office!"

"It's my office now," she pointed out. "Forget it again and I'll give you a detention."

George snorted. "Well you may not be able to keep those buggers in line with that threat. Any normal wizard would kill to have a detention with you. In a dark room. All alone."

"Is that another fantasy or do you think I'm going to seduce the students?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well I should hope you aren't seducing the students. I don't want to have to go back to school to experience that."

"You don't have to do anything to experience that, love. You can have that anytime you like." His eyes widened and she giggled.

"What about now?"

"Don't you have customers to wait on?" she asked.

"Neville, can you handle the shop for half an hour or so?" he asked.

"I hope you give me time off to go at it with my wife when the time comes," Neville said. An older witch near the counter looked up surprised and Neville blushed furiously.

George simply laughed. "When the time comes if you can get her to shag you, be my guest." Neville turned an even deeper shade of red as the witch looked him over and winked and George pulled Mary into the back room. He pressed her up against the table upon which he and his twin had tested many products and pulled roughly at her clothes, needing to feel her body against his. He was out of his own clothes just as quickly as she stripped him as well. He slid one hand down her front, dipping one finger into her, and then trailed it back up over her belly and between her breasts, up her throat and under her chin, all the way up to her lips. She kissed his finger slowly and then kissed him when he offered her his mouth.

He hoisted her up onto the table and broke their kiss to stare into her dark eyes. She wanted him, that much was obvious, and he wanted her as well; he wanted all of her, but wanted to test her reaction to something new as well. He silently bade her lie back and situated her legs so that she was spread out before him and he licked his lips. With a flash of excitement in his eyes he winked at her, and then lowered his mouth to his the center of her heat. She bit her lip to keep from moaning loudly, but his ministrations didn't end there. She felt it increasingly harder to contain herself as he licked her and kissed her most intimate being. He laved her clit, and then stuck his tongue inside of her. Finally she couldn't hold back any longer and let out at loud "GEORGE!" She felt him smile against her and then he kissed his way back up her body and swiped his tongue over her slightly parted lips.

"You're delicious," he told her before covering her lips with his. He angled himself to enter her and did so as his tongue entered her willing mouth. He thrust hard and fast, pushing her over the edge after only a few pumps and following her moments later.

"You better hope Mum doesn't want to see the back room mate," Fred's painting stated, coming through the curtains. "She and Dad just came into the shop."

"Dammit!" George exclaimed. He grudgingly moved away from his wife and put his clothes back on, then helped her find hers. The robes were in the floor tangled around the leg and he quickly extracted them. She laughed as he attempted to help her with her robes.

"Thanks," she said, kissing him. "For everything." She winked coyly at him and hopped off the table.

"My pleasure." He watched her walk back into the main store, knowing he would never be able to experiment on this table without remembering their romp. Wiggling his eyebrows at the portrait he returned to the front.

"I've got to go," she said innocently as he took his place beside Neville behind the counter. "The students are going to be at the school in about half an hour. I'll see you tonight."

"Love you," George told her to the astonishment of his mother, who never expected to hear her son proclaiming anything intimate in public.

"I love you too, George," Mary replied, before disapparating back to the gate of Hogwarts. She walked back up to the castle blissfully remembering the details of her recent encounter with George. She would definitely take him down to the dungeons, she decided.


	8. Adhering, Conforming and Making it Real

Chapter Eight: Adhering, Conforming, and Making it Real

It was mid-December and there wouldn't be any chance of hiding her secret any longer. Mary bit her lip, staring out at the snow covered grounds from the Astronomy tower. As a student at Hogwarts she had found a quiet place to think there and had decided that while she had a free period in her schedule her old thinking place might help her out. Every time she saw George now the words threatened to spill out of her without any say so and ruin everything she had planned. There was certainly no going back, even if she had wanted to, but her situation was new and unfamiliar and she didn't even know how she felt, let alone how he would react.

She had seen Madam Pomfrey almost a month previously when she had first suspected and even after the confirmation came she couldn't decide what she thought about it. Certainly she was glad that it would keep her marriage together and that she would be having George's child…children actually, but he had been so depressed lately that she didn't know how he would react.

Fred's portrait had been ripped by a couple of spoiled future Slytherins and when George found out he had had to be restrained as the children were in serious danger of lots of pain at George's hands. The painting was being redone and for the past month George had brooded, not wanting to wait for a new canvas for Fred to live in. He watched children like a hawk now when they entered the store, accompanied or not and Mary was afraid that he would be worried about some similar accident happening were he to tell her that she was going to present him with two babies within 6 ½ months.

Fortunately she wasn't showing noticeably yet. Of course she could just barely tell that she had gained a few pounds, but she was sure that George hadn't noticed as he had been so distracted of late. She sighed taking her head into her hands and wondering how she should tell him about their soon to come family additions. Madam Pomfrey had approximated that the twins would be born within the first week of July, but surely she would start to show her pregnancy more very soon.

Checking the time, she realized that she was due back in the dungeons for another class, this time with third year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. She hurried down the flights of moving staircases and met the group outside the classroom doors. "Alright, I hope you've all prepared the foot long essay I assigned at our last meeting. You'll be putting the principals into practice today," She announced opening the door. She could tell that it was going to be a long class.

George was in a better mood when Mary returned to the flat that evening. He greeted her with a kiss and pointed out the new portrait of his twin which hung in the living room. "All I have to do now is charm him to be able to move around and such."

"Great. I know you've missed him," she replied, wrapping her arms around him and staring into the painted eyes of Fred Weasley.

"Oi, have you gained weight?" Fred asked Mary, staring pointedly at her midsection.

"That's a lovely welcome back," she replied, her face flushing a little. "I missed you too, Fred." But her sarcasm didn't divert his attention away from her and only drew George's attention to what his brother was saying.

"It doesn't look like you've gained any weight," he said cheerfully. "You teasing, mate?" He laughed.

"NO!" Fred said, scandalized, his eyes lighting up. "You're not…tell me that you aren't?"

"Aren't what?" George asked, still oblivious. "What's he going on about?"

"She's got a bun in the oven mate!" Fred told his brother.

"A-a what?" George asked, shocked.

"George," Mary started, taking a deep breath. "We're going to have twins." His face was unreadable for a moment, but then his eyes lit up.

"Really? I'm going to be a father?" He picked her up and spun her around in a circle.

"More importantly, I'm going to be an uncle!!!" Fred exclaimed, jumping up in his frame. "The ladies will love this. Where is that lovely girl in the tight dress anyway?"

"I'm going to be a father," he repeated. "This is amazing. I can't believe it. Does anyone else know?"

"Madam Pomfrey."

"I've got to tell the boys! I've already got a head start on repopulating the community. I'm going to be a father. Twice over!"

Mary laughed, relieved that he was pleased. He was taking it better than she had expected. "Do you want to tell your Mum?"

"Well, I suppose we'll have to. She'll find out sooner or later. If it doesn't come from us, she'll never let me forget it. It'll be worse than the time that we cut all of Ginny's hair off."

"Oh God, don't remind me of that!" Fred intoned. "She yelled at us for weeks. It grew back of course, but Mum really wanted to be the one to give Gin her first haircut."

"Let's go. Might as well do it now and get some dinner out of it. You shouldn't have to cook in your condition."

"George, I'm not dying," Mary pointed out. "But not cooking tonight would be nice." Mary retrieved the painting she had retrieved from her old bedroom of the girl as she had promised Fred and then she and George apparated to the Burrow.

"What a lovely surprise," Mrs. Weasley said as they walked into the kitchen. She was making dinner for herself and Arthur. "You two should stay for dinner."

"That was the plan," George told her happily.

"You're certainly cheerier," his mother said as he gave her a peck on the cheek. "Did you get the new frame for Fred?" She had come to accept the painting as a reminder of her late son, which wasn't hard considering his definite personality and demeanor.

"Yes, but that's not why I'm so thrilled."

"Well, go on," she said impatiently.

"You're going to be a Grandmother," he told her, beaming and silly.

"Who, Bill?" she asked. "Why didn't they come?"

"No, Mum. US! We're having twins!"

"Twins?" she asked, turning around to confirm the story with Mary.

"That's right," Mary said, smiling as well.

"TWINS!"

"You didn't believe it from me?" George asked, slightly miffed.

"George, you're going to have twins!" his mother replied, to which he agreed and resumed his happy state. When Arthur returned home he was given the news as well. He went over to collect Eliasus and give him the good news and the five sat down to a fine meal. That night none of them slept and over the next week everyone was informed of the twins that were to be born to George and Mary Weasley. Even the Minister of Magic called to congratulate them. He also congratulated himself as his plan for restoring the magical community was working. A happy, prosperous time was soon to come in the world, he predicted. As things were developing, The Weasleys had to agree.


	9. You're Makin' Me Live

Chapter Nine: You're Makin' Me Live

On 2 July Mary gave birth to a healthy set of ginger twins, both boys and both loudly crying immediately upon entry into the world. George was utterly thrilled. He left Neville to mind the shop and returned with a loud pop and fireworks at lunchtime proclaiming the birth of his children. He poured the customers all flagons of firewhiskey and danced around Neville excitedly until he got his employee to take a few shots, then George disapparated back to St. Mungo's to rejoin his family and friends that had gathered to stare at the two tiny Weasleys.

"I'll be buggered; they're the spitting image of Fred and George!" Mrs. Weasley had proclaimed. Indeed they had been named after the older twins as well, much to Fred's portrait's amusement. The older one was called Fred Septimus and the younger George Prewett II. Mary fortunately didn't have to worry about work during their first few months, which gave her time to adjust to being a mother.

After a bit of debate, Mary decided that when school resumed in the fall she would take her children to work with her, as she imagined a classroom would be far less dangerous than Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes for the two of them to abide in. During classes she would use a levitation spell to keep them hovering just over her shoulders while she taught the class and when she had her classes prepare potions, she would take them upstairs to Madam Pomfrey, who loved looking after small children.

After a few short months of this she realized that that arrangement wouldn't work as the girls kept getting distracted by babies in class and the boys constantly tried to lure the children over to the desk in attempts to distract Mary from teaching. Molly had been volunteering to take them during the day and Mary reluctantly gave in and let her babysit. Of course she missed her children during the day, but they were returned in the evenings. Strange things started happening with the twins almost immediately after they turned six months old and George happily surmised that they would be strong wizards.

They grew more like George every day, Mary noticed, as Molly told her amusedly of their exploits 'round the Burrow. One day they cornered the cat that Molly had adopted when her children had gone off to start their lives and before Molly realized what was happening the poor thing had turned green and was missing the fur on its tail. George was thrilled, Molly was not so much, although she had to admit that the babies reminded her of a time in the past when she was bringing up her sons.

Christmas dinner was an interesting affair as well, the babies were fed and put to bed before the rest of the family ate, but they somehow escaped from their crib and rejoined the party stark naked. It was a good laugh, but after the two mini-Houdini's trick, Mary and George started putting charms on their children's bed so that they couldn't escape when it was less convenient.

George loved being a father and a husband and with the portrait of Fred around as well he seemed to miss his brother less. He and Mary were deeply in love and his shop was turning out quite a profit. Life was settling back into a state of normalcy once again when Mary found out that she was with child again just before the summer holidays at Hogwarts. The baby was due in mid-January, Madam Pomfrey informed her and Mary informed George at once.

"Another baby?" he asked, just as excited as he had been about the twins. "Really? This is amazing! You're amazing." He kissed her deeply and she sank into his warmth just as the painted Fred came up behind them.

"Now don't start that stuff, that's how you got in this situation to begin with!" he told the couple, snickering.

"Sod off, we like children," Mary told him. They informed George's parents and old Eliasus when they went to pick up Fred and George II.

"Already another baby?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "You two are right at it aren't you?"

"Well, at least he gets it honest," said Mr. Weasley, pointing out that they had 7 children themselves. "You'll probably have to find somewhere else to live, though. The flat is hardly big enough as it is."

"Do you have any suggestions?" George asked his father.

"You could stay here," Molly offered.

"I'd rather not live with my parents," George said, rolling his eyes.

Mrs. Weasley narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything. Mr. Weasley thought for a moment. "There's a place in the village near Eliasus's place if you want to be close. I don't think he'd mind seeing his granddaughter and great-grandchildren more often."

"We'll check it out," George told Mary. "But for now, I think we should get these two home and get them dinner." He picked up Fred and Mary scooped George II into her arms and with a kiss goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, they left for home.

George and Mary ended up moving into that house in the village and later into Eliasus's house when he died and left everything to Mary. Within five years of their marriage, Mary and George had produced 4 beautiful children: Fred, George II, Nymphadora, and little Remus. Ginny and Harry took a little longer, but produced James, Lily, and Albus; Ron and Hermoine created Rose and Hugo; Percy and Lavender were separated as they were unable to produce a child, but in Percy's second marriage to a muggleborn named Audrey, Molly and Lucy were born; Bill and Fleur had Victoire, Dominique, and Louis; and Charlie mated with Katie Bell to bring Garrett into the world.

Most everyone paired by the marriage law prospered and all the Wizarding community regained some population. Mary continued to teach Potions to Hogwarts students, and George's shop did extremely well and soon enough it was time to send their set of twins off to Hogwarts. Mary didn't worry though; after all, she would be there, and Weasleys tended to thrive, especially when they could find trouble.


End file.
